At near $60 for a 1 oz bottle this may prove pricey for some but I did feel a little went a very long way if you have fairly good, smooth skin. So you might want to take that into consideration should you wish to indulge.

YSL Touche Eclat used to be one my favorite concealers however, I discovered far better products such as the Dior Booster Pen and I’ve left it behind temporarily. When they introduced this foundation, I was indeed curious as I expected a similiar formula to the pen with the same creamy texture.

My expectations for this were pretty high. I expected a creamy, well pigmented foundation that offered sheer to medium coverage with the newer second skin-like finish that many foundations have embraced lately. Now medium, well, you’ll have to take it with a grain of salt. It builds well enough but even after some building you may feel it’s still a little sheer.

What I got was a fluid foundation with a thinner, runny consistency that had a gel-like texture. I was hoping I could liken this to Chanel Aqua Vitalumiere but in fact, although it offers the same great weightless coverage it doesn’t meld to form that second skin-like finish I get from products like Aqua Vitalumiere or Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid.

I was thankful that it didn’t have shimmer, sparkle, or any iridescent finish to it. Coverage is natural, breathable, and lacks any glow-y finish or look once applied. It has the ability to cover minor imperfections like redness, dark spots, some dullness, however, those who like a fuller coverage foundation will find it lacking.

I wouldn’t say it dries down to a dewy finish but the hydrating factor is there and I believe oily skin will struggle with this one. If you’re dry or combo it should offer some nice moisture but those with oily skin will feel it creates a bit of a shiny effect. For those sensitive to fragrance, it does have a rather strong cucumber-like scent which disappears quickly enough after application.

B40 and B30 (for reference B40 was the best fit for my skin, B30 was too yellow)

The coverage is indeed very natural but not as miraculous as I had hoped for. I didn’t feel like it eased my dullness for a flawless finish. Granted it produced nice, breathless coverage but didn’t feel like my skin looked completely flawless after use.

It contains a small amount of Bismuth but thankfully it didn’t break me out, cause me to itch, etc….I don’t wear Bare Minerals for this reason so I was a little worried I’d be itchy with this in place but no problems in this area.

Overall, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation was a highly anticipated release for me that fell short. I don’t think I’m cut out for these illuminating foundations that keep launching as I feel the coverage doesn’t ease my dullness and the wear is quite short (make sure to set well with powder as I experienced fading super fast with this). I wasn’t particularly pleased and felt like I overspent on this one (I imagine I wouldn’t feel as bad about the price if it actually worked well). I guess the fact that it was inspired by Touche Elcat led me to believe it would be a creamy foundation with a second skin-like finish but what you really get is vastly different from the pen.

Comments

Somehow, I’m not surprised. YSL’s makeup has always been underwhelming for me because the quality doesn’t quite match the price in my experience. I’ll test it out at the store/counter, but I won’t be purchasing it.

I was not terribly impressed with this either. I have combination skin and I knew it was not going to be long lasting but I had better hopes. I had to blot a few times a day. I was expecting a lot more but was so disappointed
🙁 I liked the finish of it but the shade I had was not a perfect match so it was not a total loss.

With such a history behind the Touche Eclat illuminator it really is a shame that it’s so “meh” and I agree, neither illuminating nor brightening. It’s a decent foundation but I don’t think it lives up to its predecessor or marketing campaign.

Have you tried By Terry’s Sheer Expert? That was such a surprise for me on my oily / combo skin. It forms a soft finish, without being completely matte, totally devoid of any sparkles or glimmering particles (Yes, Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge, I’m talking about you), leaving behind a real healthy “glow” to my skin. Definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already…. Hope that helps.

sniffy, so glad you feel the same. Touche Eclat has a creamy formula that really brightens things up on my face/under eyes/etc so I expected the same from the foundation but I really didn’t get that at all! I have not, I’ll have to add it to my list. thanks so much for the rec….!

Oh that’s strange! This is only 38 euros in Europe, which should be about 49 dollars, and cosmetics are typically cheaper in the US. In fact, for European standards, it’s a reasonably priced foundation – Benefit Oxygen Wow costs 35 euros here!

I was looking forward to trying this and possibly using it as my winter foundation, but I’m not too thrilled about the coverage being that light… Guerlain is also launching an illuminating, hydrating foundation soon (Parure de Lumiere, I think) so maybe that works out better?
Thanks for the review!

interesting ljana you think it would be tons more ;-D I noticed Guerlain’s version, read a few things about it, not sure I’ll be indulging…! I don’t really do well with these illuminating foundations for some reason ;-D

I got a bottle when Nordstrom first got this with very high expectations. The match was great (B40 – we are skin twins) and I thought it looked & felt great when first applied, but it ended up getting shiny on me in a few hours and disappearing as the day wore on. I returned it…if I want a foundation that does the things above, I can get many for far less money.

christina, my expectations were very high too! It does feel very hydrating on skin but it didn’t do much to ease my dullness and I felt the wear time was terribly short, about three hours. No oily/shininess though thankfully. I’m considering return mine as well, got it at Sephora.

Re: Sniffy’s rec for the By Terry Sheer Expert – I totally second that. This is a fantastic foundation if you can get past the rose scent…it does disappear but is pretty strong when first applied. I have two tubes: Rosy Beige and Vanilla Beige. Vanilla Beige has been what I’ve used this summer b/c my skin is darker.

I’ve been checking the tracking number like a crack addict lol! I might get it Friday, if not then Monday deff. I literally can’t wait. I was tempted to get the concealer too but I figured I’d wait and see what’s the coverage like of the foundation first.

It’s not out here yet but I’m sooo excited to try it! I love my Touche Eclat pen and as soon as I heard that there was a Touche Eclat foundation coming, I knew I needed it. I’m worried that it won’t mix well with my slightly oily skin though, especially now that I’ve read your review… Fingers crossed!

Muse- I really want you to try GA Maestro; I hate to say this, but it truly is amazing. I’ve never used anything like it. Considering the ‘oil technology’, my face shows no shine…its crazy runny but so blendable and buildabe. Its really like nothing I’ve ever used; a keeper indeed and my new fall foundation!!!!

i’m so glad to hear it sarah. I don’t really do well with these illuminating concealers, I rely on a good base to ease dullness and this just didn’t do the trick. Happy to hear it worked well for you though, it’s always nice to hear a success story because products will always work differently on different skin types ;-D I’m terribly excited for GA’s Maestro too, I hope I’m not disappointed!

I quite like the look and feel of this foundation but it doesn’t last well and I’ve had horrible small spots and pimplesever since I started using it – and I never get spots. Also the pump action is quite stiff which means that I almost always get more than I need, which is infuriating as it’s not cheap. I won’t be buying this again.

i’m so sooo behind in my beauty products! I blame it on having a baby during year end! LOL! But, i finally got around to trying this, and my reaction is somewhat similar… hmmm! I do find it similar somewhat to Tom Ford… which i LOVED.

Got a sample of this after an online purchase from Sephora. Disappointed. Can’t believe this made the Allure’s best of beauty list. Runny, greasy and too illuminating and glowing, it didn’t meet any of my expectations, I do love the YSL mascara in Burgundy, but this foundation was terrible to say the least!

Have this! A friend gave half a bottle of this foundation to me, she said it’s too light on her. But she seems fair-skinned to me… The shade is B30, a bit dark for me but funny, it sets nicely to my skintone after half an hour or so.

I love this one. It blends so well on my dry patches, has a good dewy medium coverage as well, and doesnt end up greasy nor sticky. Gonna look for a perfect shade on my next Singapore (I loooove Singapohhh!) trip, they are not available here..